I’ve received a few requests for the candy cane sugar scrub recipe after posting about my Christmas gifts. I made some of this last weekend, and it is AMAZING.  Of course, if you don’t like peppermint you won’t like it!  I doubled the recipe because I have a lot of women to give to! Ingredients 1 cup granulated white sugar 6 candy canes, finely crushed almost into a powder 1/2 cup sweet almond oil (or olive oil) 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional – used as a preservative) 1 teaspoon cocoa butter (optional) 6 drops peppermint essential oil Instructions Mix all ingredients until well blended. I took and broke up my candy canes in a food processor first, and then combined all the ingredients together.  I also left out the cocoa butter.  It worked out really well; works fabulously and smells yummy!

I have been doing something silly in an effort to save money.  I turned my thermostat down to 55.  Let me tell you why that is a bad idea.  I’m seriously freezing my buns off!! What all started this was my electric bill this month. I was expecting it to be about $120. When I opened it and saw it was $165, I about had a heart attack! I know it could be worse, but when you’re expecting it to be less it’s shocking.  I decided I was going to go off the deep end and make sure my electric bill wasn’t that high this month.  I set my thermostat at 55. The other night when I got home I went into my bedroom to change (and put on two sweaters) and the thermometer in there read 49 degrees.  That was my wake up call.  I realized that it’s ridiculous to be miserable in a house that is 55 degrees (or lower) and save money.  What’s the point of saving money if I freeze to death?  I turned the thermostat [...]

I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley from Wide Open Wallet. Ashley is a 31 year old stay at home mom to two children. Her take on being frugal and saving money is always uplifting and very entertaining. I recently had a chance to interview her about her personal finance story among other things.  Please subscribe to her feed today so you don’t miss out! I’m sure you’ll love her blog. What made you want to start your blog? Two things. One, I’ve always had a strong interest in personal finance so I thought I would have plenty to say. Two, I was writing a “mom blog” for my friends and family and a lot of times I wanted to talk about our finances but didn’t feel comfortable since everyone I know reads it. So I thought it would be fun to start a new blog just about money. It’s really morphed into way more than I ever thought it would be. What first got you interested in personal finance? I’ve always thought in terms [...]